PCP Ventures Acquires 75-Year-Old Pellon Fabric Business

PCP Ventures LLC, a Tampa Bay-based investor group, has acquired Pellon, a 75-year-old fabric business based in Clearwater. The company, which employs approximately 95 people, produces its products at its 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Clearwater. Pellon’s products include interfacings, stabilizers, batting, fiberfill, foams, and other specialty fabrics, helping to give finished items shape, support, softness, and cushioning.

The investor group, which represents family offices with combined assets of close to $1 billion, including Adam Schoenbaum and Ron Ciganek, has plans to invest in Pellon’s people, operations, and future growth. Under PCP Ventures, Pellon will continue to provide products for do-it-yourself sewing enthusiasts through stores such as Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and Michael’s. The company also sees tremendous potential in expanding its reach to users in other industries, given that Pellon’s products can be used in a wide range of applications including apparel, furniture, and home décor.

Pellon has been a globally trusted name among sewists and quilters for decades, with “Pellon” widely used as the generic term for interfacing. The brand’s products are often described as the “Magic in the Middle”, characterized as the hidden yet essential materials inside a project that provide the support, structure, and functionality needed to bring the finished product together.

Leadership at PCP Ventures, led by Schoenbaum and Ciganek, brings experience in commercial real estate, manufacturing, consumer brands, distribution, finance, and turnaround leadership. They hope to continue fostering the trust earned over decades, investing in the people, plant, and product to ensure Pellon is stronger for the next 75 years than it has ever been. This acquisition also represents a significant opportunity for Tampa Bay, given Pellon’s long history in the region.

Pellon’s story began in 1950, when the Pellon trademark was developed in connection with Freudenberg, the German nonwovens pioneer. Early Pellon interfacing offered an alternative to the woven canvases and haircloth traditionally used by tailors to give garments shape and structure. Interfacing is a material placed between layers of fabric to provide support and stability in items such as collars, cuffs, and waistbands. Pellon brought these materials to American home sewists and garment makers, and the brand became synonymous with interfacing in the sewing community.

Over the decades, Pellon expanded beyond its original interfacing products. Its portfolio now includes fusible and sew-in interfacings, stabilizers, quilt batting, fiberfill, fusible fleece, craft foams, fusible tapes, and other specialty materials. These products help provide structure, durability, adhesion, cushioning, filtration, and other functional properties across a wide range of applications. Today, Pellon serves diverse markets, including hobby and crafting, apparel, quilting, furniture, and home décor. Its products reach customers through a broad network of retail and industry partners, including Walmart, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby in the U.S., and worldwide through distributors that reach over 5,000 other stores.

While PCP’s acquisition came out of the bankruptcy process, Pellon has always been a fundamentally strong brand. PCP’s leaders saw a solid business, a great brand, and loyal customers. Pellon didn’t need to start over; it just needed the right investment and a fresh direction to achieve long-term sustainability.

PCP Ventures plans to invest in Pellon’s Clearwater 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, its workforce, and its systems and equipment to improve production, service levels, speed to market, and most importantly, best-in-class quality of products. Customers can continue to find the full Pellon product line at retail partners. Existing customer, distributor, and supplier relationships will continue without disruption.